Monday, 31 January 2011

Freddie gang menand enemies battle it out in Mountjoy

RIVAL drugs gangs have battled it out for dominance in vicious fighting in Mountjoy jail.

Members of 'Fat' Freddie Thompson's gang rioted at the jail, attacking rivals and setting fire to a cell.

The violent weekend disturbances came just five days after gangster Craig White – a killer linked to the Thompson gang’s hit squad – smashed televisions in a 25-man riot at the jail.

Tensions remained extremely high in the Dublin prison today, after five inmates were injured last Saturday night.

Investigations were under way at the prison as inmates aligned to Freddie Thompson and his rival Crumlin crime boss were involved in two prison riots, deliberate fires and attempted drug smuggling.

The latest incident occurred last Saturday when the Dublin drugs gangs clashed in an 60-man stand-off, before five of the ringleaders had to be rescued from a fire in solitary confinement hours later.

Inmates aligned to the major Crumlin-based crime boss teamed up with a Ballymun-based outfit to attack a gang member from an Inchicore-based drug gang in the prison yard.

The attack lead to a stand-off between up to 60 inmates, as Thompson gang members became involved and faced off with the Crumlin gang with improvised blades and other homemade weapons.

A jail source said: “The attack on the Inchicore inmate was set up by the Crumlin guys.

“But, as they carried it out, their rivals, aligned to Freddie Thompson’s gang, got involved. A number of fistfights and assaults took place, and improvised weapons were produced.”

Prison officers successfully defused the violence and the decision was taken to segregate five of the inmates in an underground cell in the jail’s B-base.

With no apparent regard for their safety, the men set wooden bunk beds on fire in the communal cell and had to be rescued by prison authorities.

Officers were forced to don breathing apparatus and rescue the prisoners who were all brought to the Mater Hospital suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.

According to source,s there were over 50 prisoners in the ‘BBase’ – as it’s known – and they were evacuated to exercise yards in the prison. They have all been discharged from hospital and returned to the jail.

The blaze broke out at around 7.15pm on Saturday and was brought under control by six units of the Dublin Fire Brigade.

Saturday's disturbances came just five days after a prison riot which involved one of Fat Freddie Thompson's jailed hitmen.

Craig White (24), serving life for murder, is believed to have been a key player in violent disturbances last Monday when inmates rampaged and smashed TV sets.

A female prison officer was attacked and received a blow during the incident.

Rival

White is serving time for a high profile hit on Noel Roche, a gangster shot dead outside the Yacht pub in Clontarf in 2005. The murder was one of the killings in a bloody gang feud between ‘Fat' Freddie Thompson's gang and the rival Crumlin drug gang.

White was jailed for life last July for his role in the shooting, which gardai believe he carried out with another man. Roche, a sworn enemy of the Thompson gang, was shot dead as he drove home after a Phil Collins gig.

White, from O'Devaney Gardens, is suspected of involvement in disturbances on the D wing of the prison this week, which saw prisoners revolt after being issued with disciplinary reports - known as ‘P19s'.